


Love for a Bluescreen

by Kira_Katashi



Series: Kira's James Bond Shorties [2]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Fluff, I mean QT sound like cutie, M/M, Very much floof, a bit of New Year is in here too, and don't forget the bluescreens, something light to soothe the soul, the best shipname in the bond fandom
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-08-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:34:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25636618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kira_Katashi/pseuds/Kira_Katashi
Summary: The first time Tanner and Q ever interacted without a 00-crisis at hand was when Tanner's laptop broke down.And from there it simply...continued.
Relationships: Q/Bill Tanner
Series: Kira's James Bond Shorties [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2045589
Comments: 5
Kudos: 43
Collections: 007 Fest Fancreations





	1. it had to start somewhere

**Author's Note:**

> Hello fellows,  
> there is not enough pure fluff in the Bond Fandom and even less for Q and Tanner.  
> So I did it myself.
> 
> And somehow I wrote about Christmas during July.  
> I miss the cold.
> 
> Anyway, happy reading!

_Sometimes it’s hard to tell where stories begin if there is no big impact or live-revamping event. Sometimes stories aren’t exiting tales of heroes and knights or people growing up to fulfil their destiny. Certainly, this one isn’t. Nobody here is something other than human (of course not counting Q’s cats) and all relevant people are adults that already have their places._

_But even a simple story has to start somewhere._

_And this one is probably best started on a snowy and cold, late-Friday evening just two weeks away from Christmas._

* * *

Q was sleep deprived.

Not for the first time and certainly not for the last.

He was barely able to read the texts, codes and maps scattered across his monitors and the sweet relieve of rubbing eyes helped less and less to keep him awake. His tea was long empty and even the disgusting tasting, stolen coffee didn’t do a thing for him.

“ _Agent secured_.”

No sweeter message had come over the comm in the last few hours. The aforementioned agent had been able to finish his mission successfully but had been injured in the process, letting him only escape as far as the borders of enemy territory. But a small team under the guidance of Q had managed to find the unconscious agent and extract him without being detected.

The agent wasn’t ok, but he would heal and would be up and running within a few months of rest, healing and rehab with only new scars to show for it.

A good outcome considering how bad large shootouts in undercover missions tend to end.

Barely remembering to close his programs properly and securely store his tech away Q was more than ready to get home to his cats and _sleep_. With one last long stretch and a satisfying crackling of his spine Q threw his bag over his shoulders, switched off the lights and left his office.

The two minions that remained active for the nightshift in case of any emergency were both fixated to their screens and knowing from personal experience that they wouldn’t hear him, Q didn’t even try to say goodbye.

The underground corridors of MI6 were already dimmed for the night though Q didn’t light it back up – his eyes were grateful of the less harsh lighting. But that brought special attention to another office were the light still shone brightly.

It was Tanner’s.

Carefully glancing though the thick glass door revealed the Chief or Staff with his face pressed to the surface of the desk in front of his monitor with his hands interwoven over the back of his head. Misery and defeat were rolling off him as if it was one touchable barrier.

Knowing Q would feel bad if he walked away now, he announced himself politely with a gentle knocking against the glass – Tanners head shooting upwards – and went inside.

“Is there something I can help you with?”

“Oh…eh, hello Q,” Tanner straightened his dress shirt, “yes, yes maybe you can help me. But shouldn’t you be at home right now?”

“Since more than four hours but an agent needed help.”

Tanner gave a tired smile.

“And you need sleep. Go home Q, the bluescreen will probably be still there tomorrow. Or maybe the laptop will be functional again – who knows. You can’t blame the lighting for the rings under your eyes.”

Seeing the determination in Tanner’s eyes Q was just about to leave again when he stopped and turned back around.

“Shouldn’t you be at home too?”

Tanner looked sheepish.

“I had to finish off some paperwork but then my laptop decided to stop working. I tried to get it back running.”

For a long moment the two looked at each other in silence.

It was Tanner who broke it first, closing the laptop and putting it as well as his few non-stationary things into his bag.

“Then let us two leave together.”

Q waited until Tanner had his suit jacket back on and held the door open for them, the other thanking him and returning the favour on the side-door leading outside. Both of them had swaddled up with beanies, shawls and mittens and it was a good thing they did.

The winter winds were unforgiving, bellowing some of the fine powdery snow up that occasionally hit one in the face like tiny splinters.

It was actually the first time Q was outside with Tanner that didn’t include running after a 00.

Q was just about to ask where the other had to go, indirectly inquiring how far they could walk together before he would part away to use the Underground when the last thing he saw before hitting the ground were Tanner’s wide eyes.

.

.

.

At first there was a restrained chuckle while Q tried to get rid of the weight on him – his vision blurry – but then Tanner couldn’t keep it contained anymore and _laughed_. It was a very hearty one Q couldn’t resist joining in.

A pile of snow had slid off the nearby rooftop onto the unsuspecting Quartermaster.

“Don’t laugh!”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Two strong arms grabbed Q under his armpits and pulled him up, followed a few moments later with semi-cleaned glasses being gently set onto his nose.

“There you go.”

Q only had a second to marvel at Tanners strength when a bit of snow that clung to his beanie decided to slide off, past his askew shawl and into his jacket creating a cold wet stripe down his spine. Instinctively he froze in his spot and the laughter flared up anew.

It was such a surreal moment that seemed to be cliché movie material. 

All was brought to a slow end when the cold truly settled into Q’s skin. As wet as most of his backside now was the winter-cold seemed even colder and he barely kept from chattering his teeth. Tanner must’ve noticed it because even his throaty chuckling stopped and was replaced by a more concerned look on his face.

“I’m living just two blocks further down, lets get you warmed up.”

Before Q could even mutter a word, Tanner had picked up Q’s forgotten bag as well and gently nudged him to continue walking.

“Tanner, that is not needed.”

“I know you have to use the train to get home which means you live further away – you’ll be frozen solid until you arrive. So warm up, we don’t need a sick Quartermaster.”

Tanner had that face he normally reserved for stubborn agents when he wanted them to do his bidding. And as stubborn as Q was, he was tired…and cold. And these few minutes to do a bit warmer again wouldn’t be much of a difference now.

So, with a sigh, he let himself be led through the snowy night-time streets of London.

It was a beautiful night if he was honest.

The air smelled as clean as it could in a city like London, the snow was crunching under his boots and the streets were mostly devoid of people. And sometimes if there was a gap in the clouds Q could see the occasional twinkle of a star.

He took it all in with a deep breath and released some stress with the breath out.

Their little walk ended at a slim house with dark red bricks in a whole long row of the same type. The tiny bit of greenery in front looked grown out while the flowerpots however were well cared for.

“Welcome to my home.”

Q actually hadn’t thought about how Tanners housing could look like other than that he probably was living in a flat like the most people in MI6. But Tanner actually had a house all to himself going by the very few pairs of same-sized shoes in the entrance area and the few same-sized coats on the rack.

“The bath is upstairs, first door to the left. Grab a shower, towels are in the cabinet and I make you some tea.”

Q felt a bit… _overwhelmed_ by Tanners kindness. But the man still had, what Q promptly dubbed “mother-hen-mode” on and a warm shower _did_ sound amazing.  
Glancing unsure one last time to Tanner who was already walking deeper inside Q took off his shoes and walked a bit over the doormat to ensure that he didn’t leave wet footprints before going upstairs.

The interior was unexpected but after a bit of thought fitting for Tanner. Dark wooden flooring with mostly old and robust wooden furniture. Books and thick folders full of post-its seemed to fill any space available with the occasional flowerpot. Unlike the one outside however, these were inhabited only by cactuses. The only pictures on the walls were of buildings save for one. A crude children’s drawing with wobbly written “ _i luv yo”_ written across it. It was rather sun-bleached and a closer look at the lower corner revealed a date going back more than 12 years.  
Was Tanner old enough to have at least one kid that has already moved out? But even then, Q would think there would be at least some more hints that another person had been living here.

It was not his place to ask.

Tanner was a good college and a very caring one at that, but they weren’t friends or anything. Tanners live is his own and he would respect that. Especially because Tanner hadn’t asked anything of Q either.

And he was only here to warm up for a moment before he had to home himself.

~*~

Unsurprisingly the bathroom was exactly where Tanner said it would be, a compact room that maybe had a bit more than 2m² of moving space between bathtub-shower combination, toilet, cabinet and sink.

Surprisingly however was the sheer amount of make-up products when he opened the wrong cabinet door. Confused as to what to do with that knowledge – and never having seen Tanner wear any make-up – Q simply closed it again in favour of finding the towels and _shower_.

He didn’t want to impose on Tanner longer than he had to.

With a bit of genius, he undressed while standing in the bathtub – which had been a good idea because he kept shaking bits of snow and water out of his clothes.

It only took him five minutes until he was finished and walked back downstairs in slightly damp clothing and his outdoor clothes under his arms.

“Ah, right on time, tea is finished,” and after a moment Tanner added, “I could lend you a dry shirt.”

“It’s fine, I am not that wet. Thank you.”

In the living room where two armchairs where one would expect a sofa and – hell – Tanner basically had his own private library. How could a man own this many books? Then again, _not his place to ask_.

Tanner directed him into one of the armchairs, disappeared for a moment to get their tea and made himself comfortable in the other.

While the warm shower had already done wonders there was nothing like feeling the warmth of a cup seeping in though the hands. Ignoring with years’ worth of experience in drinking tea, the scalding temperature Q took in as a good sip and was _heaven_.

If Q was right the basis of the tea was Chai but it certainly wasn’t a mixture normally found in stores. Many more herbs and spices were mixed in in a perfect blend that kept him from identifying them properly – it was strong on the cardamom and the cinnamon seemed to be more pronounced, but he could be totally wrong here.

He just found his new favourite tea.

“That is very good tea, where did you find it?”

“It’s a family recipe, I won’t be telling you what is in it.”

“Is it possible get more of it? I really like it,” Q’s eyes fell onto the clock on the wall,” but I need to go now if I still want to catch a train. The cats are waiting for me.”

With these words he drowned the rest and revelled for a second how the warmth spread though his limbs before standing up and moving towards the door.

“Thank you very much for your hospitality.”

“It was no trouble; you still have a minute?”

Curious Q nodded and Tanner disappeared in the kitchen again. In less than a minute he came back with a thermo-cup and a pad laying atop it which he gave to Q.

“Can’t have you freezing again on the way back home.”

Stunned, Q could only mutter another _thank you_ and accept what Tanner had given him – the pad being a handwarmer.

Wanting to return a bit of the kindness Q offered to take Tanners laptop with him to fix it till tomorrow but the other waved him off stating that Q wouldn’t sleep otherwise…which probably was true.

So, with another bout of “ _thank you_ ’s” and “ _no problem_ ’s” Q got his few things together and left with a warm pad in the nape and a good tea in his hands.

* * *

As would every morning, the next one came too early.

Disgruntled turning off the alarm and going through his normal morning-routine while dancing around his attention demanding cats Q barely remembered to take the washed thermo-cup with him to give it back to Tanner.

The bakery-Lady gave him the usual, the train-ride was dreary as ever with people fighting for seating space though it wasn’t as bad as it was Monday to Fridays. Especially rush-hours seemed to turn people into rabid animals.

But then again it was nothing new.

Just as it was nothing new that he just stepped into MI6 and as if conjured somebody was there with some form of urgent task for him. Luckily, it was only some data-analysis for now.

At his desk he got his stuff back out again and freed whatever things he had locked away and stumbled across the cup again. Knowing that more work could come in any time Q decided to just go and get Tanners laptop now before he couldn’t do it later.

Quickly his feet carried him to Tanner’s office who had a headset on and was clearly in a phone call. Though before he could turn away Tanner had seen him and bade him inside.

The faulty laptop was ready to be taken away with its charger spun around it.

Mindful of the ongoing phone call Q quietly walked in, placed the returned cup well in Tanner’s sight before grabbing the laptop.

Finger snipping stopped him in his tracks.

Tanner was still conversing with whoever was on the other end of the line, but he had one finger pointed towards a cup not far from where the laptop had been placed.

Just to be sure Q pointed to himself, to which Tanner nodded insistently.

Q took the cup and smelled the spices and herbs from the same tea as yesterday wafting up. Nodding gratefully, he took it and left Tanner to his peace.

And oh boy was that tea needed.

He was hardly back when two minions ran to him because an agent had gotten mixed up somewhere and they were out of their wits as to how to help him.

Just a normal day at the office.

It was only towards the late evening when he could spare some time to look at Tanner’s laptop.

A good-to-honest bluescreen. It had been a while since he saw one.

And he couldn’t find what had triggered it. He made sure the hardware was dust-free plus, just for security he looked for any tampering and couldn’t find one and he was just about to deem it unsalvageable, threatening to put it into the trash when it simply started working again.

Laptops were Diva’s.

To be sure Q turned it on and off a few times, let a bit of code run – laptop working without a hitch.

Finished just in time before his official shift was over. He cleaned the borrowed cup in the small coffee-corner, made sure he had some of the paperwork to look at when he was home and went to Tanner when all his things were stored away.

Considering that seemingly nothing in the office had moved and Tanner was pacing back and forth, annoyed with whoever he was speaking it looked as if Tanner was still in the same call; probably not but it looked that way anyhow.

If one of his minions had eaten there was usually some used cutlery around or crumpled bakery bags…had Tanner eaten something?

…He still had a cinnamon roll left.

Seeing it as an opportunity to return the favour, Q left his cinnamon roll on Tanners desk alongside the repaired laptop and was gone as quietly as he came.

~*~

Tanner hadn’t been at MI6 on Sunday, having a day off or at least doing only a few things from home but on Monday he searched for – and found – Q.

“The cinnamon roll was _good_. Where did you find it?”

“Eh, the bakery close to where I live.”

The answer came more out like a question than intended but it was the start of a little routine.

Q would bring Tanner cinnamon rolls and in exchange Tanner would bring him a large thermo-cup of that Tanner™ Tea.

* * *

Going to work on Christmas day was the most relaxed train ride he had in what felt like ever. Less people crowding train and station.

And less people working at MI6.

It was always a bit of a gamble to work with what essentially was a skeleton crew. People could try to do shit now because they think they were understaffed or, on the other hand, people could think MI6 was now overstaffed because _they_ thought people would try shit because of Christmas.

There wasn’t too much paperwork around for today and Q didn’t have a particular idea for something to invent. There were two agents that needed monitoring, but they were already covered by other by the few minions that were in today.

Seeing that he basically had nothing to do, Q decided to go over to Tanner and do an early delivery of the cinnamon roll with some cookies for an extra treat.

Despite being only 1pm the halls were nearly as quiet as during night-time.

It threw off his sense of time a bit without any natural daylight.

Anyhow, Tanner was in his office, sitting at the desk while drowning in huge stacks of paper.

Q knocked on the glass to announce himself and was waved in with a handwave. It really must be a bad day for Tanner going by the rings under his eyes and the tiredness oozing of him in waves.

“Got your rolls.”

As an answer he got a smile and Tanner conjured out of his back the familiar thermo-cup.

Trading the goods Q pulled one of the spare chairs close to sit down.

“Something I could help you with?”

“Hm? Oh! Eh…you don’t have anything to do at the moment?”

“Maybe I am called should one of the agents currently out get in trouble but for now those are covered. And I have nothing that needs my urgent attention. Unless that is something I shouldn’t see.”

For a moment Tanner clearly rang with himself before capitulating.

“I think there are very few things you don’t have a clearance for when it comes to reading them…then again I think with your skills you probably can get anything you want anyway. This isn’t something complicated however it’s just a mess. If you could just help sorting this per department it would make my job a whole lot easier.”

Now Q was sorting personnel papers while watching how Tanner tried to fight sleep.

It was quite interesting to watch.

The occasional dip of Tanners head and the blinking eyes that stayed closer for longer with each passing minute. It ended with Tanner’s head resting on the desk, snoring very softly.

He looked as if he desperately needed the nap…and it looked kind of endearing.

Q didn’t want to disturb him knowing himself how hard it sometimes can be to find sleep. Instead he simply sorted through everything and only _then_ tried to wake Tanner.

He didn’t wake when calling him, so he had to resort to poking him carefully.

With a start Tanner’s head shot up, the edge of the desk a clear imprint on his cheek. Together with the thin trail of drool and bedazzled look Q couldn’t stop himself from chuckling.

“Got your papers sorted.”

It took another long adorable second until Tanner’s brain caught up.

“…OH! Why didn’t you wake me?”

“It looked like you needed it.”

A gentle blush settled over Tanner’s cheeks.

“Thank you.”

“You might want to wash your face.”

Clearly confused Tanner wiped through his face and turned even redder when he noticed the drool trail and the wet spot on the paper he had lain directly on. Afterwards Q was politely dismissed while Tanner made himself presentable and presumably resume his work.

Q simply chuckled to himself and went back to his own workstation going through the little amount of papers he had left.

One of the agents had requested help of Q-Branch but nothing more than needing better directions than google maps could provide.

Nicely uneventful.

And when Q had checked out for the day, he just met Tanner already bundled up to face the cold outside.

“Long time no see.”

“Good evening Q, on your way home too?”

Q nodded pulling on shawl and beanie while making sure that his jacket was properly closed. It was easy to just fall in line with Tanners walking pace and just…enjoy the others presence.

“Thank you once again Q for helping me out.”

Q hesitated with his reply – they were outside of MI6 and he slowly came to consider Tanner a friend.

“It was ok…but outside of MI6 please call me Marius.”

“Marius…I wasn’t so far off. And please call me Bill then”

Puzzled, Q asked for a clarification.

“There are a lot of bets going around as to what your actual name is. I know for a fact that our 00-Chaos Duo tried to find your file.”

“Going by the fact that there are still bets – they haven’t found it?”

“Yes, I think you are our best secured secret.”

For a few minutes they simply walked in the silence of each other’s company.

“What did you think my name was?

“Hm? Oh, your name? I put in Michael – so at least the first letter it right. But I guess I should keep silent?”

“If you would be so kind. What where other options?”

“Some simple ones like Chris, Ben or even James and a hell lot of names starting with Q.”

“They are aware that Q stands for Quartermaster?”

“Doesn’t stop them from throwing in Quentin, Quasimodo or Quill.”

Both chuckled, knowing that they most likely came from either 007 or 006. They had a bit of small talk until they reached the nearest underground station.

Q mustered Tanner for a moment. What he before had put off as signs of exhaustion were still there even if Tanner was seemingly more awake now. There was an air of downtrodden defeat about him. Hesitant, but remembering how kind Tanner had been to him two weeks ago Q jumped over his own shadow.

“Bill, do you want to come over?”

Somehow that seemed to have lifted a huge weight off Tanners shoulders.

“I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“You won’t”

~*~

They got out of the train when Tanner nudged Q’s arm, pointing towards one of the electronic boards.

It was a blue screen making both of them grin.

“It seems as if you can find them anywhere.”

“At least they aren’t only haunting MI6 staff”

Outside it had started to snow again in gentle flocks and with these little people outside they were walking over unimprinted snow, past christmas-y decorated houses and blinking lights.

With Tanner at his side Q felt calmer than he had in many weeks; he just had to take in a deep breath full of cold air and release what little stress was left with a soft smile on his lips.

He would be home for Christmas and he wouldn’t be alone.

A double win in his book.

Though it made him a bit self-conscious when he led Tanner inside the large complex of building full of decorations into his mostly bare flat. He had the standard mobiliary with a big computer setup in the corner, but he didn’t own a lot of personal items. His cats were like the most risk he had ever taken in something that wasn’t too easy to transport.

But he couldn’t bring himself to get more things – should he be forced to move he must get anything important into a relatively small case and be gone in a few minutes.

However, when Q was observing Tanner there was no judgement in his eyes when he looked around Q’s flat, just simple curiosity.

“I won’t match your tea skills, but I could offer to make hot chocolate for the occasion?”

“Oh? Thank you.”

And that was how Q found himself sitting with Tanner on his small sofa sipping hot chocolate on Christmas while his TV was playing some movie on low volume.

Three, two, one….. _mrrreow_?

Q’s first cat Romulus, a big silver floof appeared in the crack to his nearly closed bedroom and came to them with a bit of encouraging lap-patting from Q. But it was only when Romulus was comfortably settled in Q’s lap that Rameses poked his head from under the sofa. He was a whole grain cat loaf with white socks…and usual shy of strangers.

This time he unexpectedly jumped onto the armrest right at Tanner’s side sniffling hesitantly.

And promptly determining him to be a good seating place sprawling right across Tanner’s lap as if he owned it.

Q was just about to say something because of the unusualness when he noticed how happy Tanner looked. There was a spark in his eyes and a soft smile on his lips while he petted the cat on his lap.

“What are their names?”

“The one taking up all the space is Rameses and the silver beauty here is Romulus.”

“…RAM and ROM?”

Q huffed in amusement.

“You are the first one who guessed that and not asked me if I am a history nerd.”

“Are you?”

“What?”

“A history nerd?”

“There are some time periods I find interesting, but I am not a big history buff.”

After that all discussions more or less died down between them. They just where there, patting purring cats enjoying each other’s company.

~*~

The first thing Q noticed when he came back to awareness was that he was nicely warm.

And he felt _safe_.

Besides the weight of cats, he was used to, something kept his head from moving easily.

.

.

.

He was leaning against Tanner’s shoulder and Tanner had his head half-leaned on Q’s. His glasses were missing making everything blurry and an arm that was not his own had a phone in hand on his lap – the only true lightsource in the room with the TV turned off.

Oh gosh, Tanner must’ve clearly noticed how Q had fallen asleep on him.

He could feel his cheeks burning!

But Tanner wasn’t awake as Q initially thought because of the phone as it was his snoring filling the silence of the room.

What should he do now?!

The logical part in him told him to get up, wake up Tanner and seriously apologize for his inappropriate _familiar_ behaviour. And the less logical part of him wanted nothing more than to stay where he was, enjoying – _relaxing_ – in the half-cuddling position with Bill.

The choice however was taken from him when Rameses decided to move while utilizing his claws – effectively waking Tanner. More out of reflex than anything else Q closed his eyes and kept his breath as even as he could.

Tanner lifted his head slowly off Q, the last bit of light was turned off.

And Tanner settled back against Q, shuffling only a little bit for a more comfortable position.

…Q wouldn’t be selfish _now_ if he just stayed when Tanner himself had just settled back down?

…And wouldn’t it be rude to wake him? Tanner worked a lot after all.

Clearing his lungs, Q relaxed in his position and accepted the comfort Tanner offered.

* * *

What woke Q wasn’t the usual, very insistent meowing of his hungry cats just shortly before his phone alarm would ring, but a hand gently shaking his shoulder.

“Wake up Marius.”

“Rrrhhmmm…?”

“We both fell asleep yesterday. And I am going to leave in a bit to make a stop home before work.

“Oh…OH!”

His still sleepy mind remembered and was back online in an instance.

Tanner must’ve woken before him because he was laying rolled together, sideways on his sofa while the other had somewhat flattened the wrinkles in his clothes which Q saw clearly when putting back on the glasses handed to him.

Q felt awkward and probably looked awkward but Tanner was just his usual positive self, outside of his “mission-mode”. Despite the wrinkles in his dress shirt he still had that _proper_ office air around him. And he had this gentle smile on his face and…

A cup of something.

Which was given to him.

Instantly Q recognized the Earl Grey tea he horded in masses – the best store-bought but not too expensive tea he had found.

His first cup of tea. It was like instant relaxation while getting mind and body ready to wake up.

Tanner’s chuckle brought him back to reality.

“You sure like your tea. I hope it was alright that I utilized your kitchen to make fried egg for us?”

“You didn’t need to! But thank you very much…Bill.”

“It was no problem.”

God dammit! Q had been so far out that he didn’t even hear Tanner rummaging through his kitchen which was just some meters away. Why had he been so out of it? Then something in the kitchen rattled drawing the attention of both of them.

“Romulus, NO!”

In an instant Q had set his empty cup aside and vaulted to the cat who had jumped onto his small dinner table and was about to munch on their breakfast. Before the thief could flee Q had her and basically threw her off the table.

“This is no cat food Romulus.”

Offended Romulus showed Q his backside and slithered into the bedroom.

“I am very sorry about that Bill but you can’t leave food out in the open with those two. Getting an automatic feeder that these two rascals didn’t crack open was very hard to find.”

“I would have fed – I discovered where their food is – but I wasn’t sure how much of what they get.”

“It’s alright, caring for them is not your job. In the morning they get one of the wet-food sardines split with a small cup of dry food mixed to that and the same should I be home in time. Otherwise the feeder will go off and they get only dry-food. And never forget to fill up on water.”

Q prepared the cat-food as explained beforehand while Tanner settled at the table.

Just having someone sitting with him in the morning…it made him feel cosy all over. If Tanner would ever have a life-partner – or maybe he had one Q didn’t know about – whoever they were must be very lucky to have someone like Tanner.

He had a very good sense of the mood around him, being quiet without being awkward when in silence while also being a good conversationalist when needed. Q very much liked that.

There was nothing worse than a person talking off your ear especially when half-asleep in the morning.

But that wasn’t Tanner, _Bill_ , who had made breakfast for him and had let Q sleep against him.

~*~

Time was ever running and so was their time to work approaching. Out of courtesy Q took two trains earlier than usual to accompany Tanner until he was presentable again to work in the halls of MI6.

When they were just about to part ways a hand on Q’s arm stopped him for a moment.

“Would you like to visit the Christmas-market later with me before he is gone?”

“I-…I’d love to Bill.”

\--

As cold as it was, Q didn’t feel it.

He had just drunk a hot cider punch – his second?...his third?... – and was with Tanner in excellent company.

“ _Biiiill_ , how do you think Bond would look if I gave him one of those instead of a new Walther? He loses them _soooo_ often.”

“I think it would be even harsher then the threat of giving him a water gun if he doesn’t bring more equipment back. Though…the wood would certainly hurt more than plastic when thrown.”

The two of them where standing at a stall selling wooden carvings, including some wood-carven guns. One of which Q was showing enthusiastically to Bill before the next thing caught his eye.

Which was a stall with snow globes. Small ones, large ones – all whirling up particles around models and figurines when shaken. Q remembered asking his parents on multiple occasions to get one.

“I always wanted one…but never go one. Useless they were deemed. Is there something you always wanted on a Christmas market Bill?”

Tanner’s _hmmmm_ created a small cloud in the cold air making Q smile for some reason.

“One of those music boxes I guess…”

Q knew what he had to search for next – when Tanner wasn’t looking. And the chance arose sooner than he anticipated when Tanner excused himself to go to the toilet.

Making use of his slimmer statue Q squished himself through the throttle of people to the tiny stall he had seen which sold music boxes.

For a moment his hand hovered over the one playing _God save the Queen_ but that felt…too cheesy. There were some classic ones of Beethoven or Mozart as well but those too didn’t feet right for Tanner.

Knowing that time wasn’t on his side he took the first one where he didn’t recognize composer – Christian Bruhn – and the title as well. A translation to it was given “dreams come true”. He just tried it once and he knew it was the one he needed.

Quickly bought and sneaked back to where he and Tanner had parted, Q was back just in time to see the other appear in the masses.

The two of them didn’t stay long afterwards. More people came to crowd the market and the cold _did_ seep in eventually.

“Let’s go home Marius.”

With those words Tanner offered him an arm.

.

.

And Q took it with a smile.

~*~

“I got-.”

“I have-.”

They had started to talk at the same time and giggled a bit drunkenly.

“Go first Marius.”

“I…got you something.”

He pulled out the little packet with the music box and laid it into Tanner’s hands who looked at it wide eyed before letting out a good-humored snort.

“I have something for you too.”

And something round and relatively heavy was handed to Q.

His heart started pumping and with a light tremor to his hands he pulled the paper wrapping away.

It was a snow globe!

With two _cats_ inside.

Warmth and gratitude swelled in Q’s chest and going by the wetness in…Bill’s eyes he wasn’t the only one affected. It had been so long since somebody gifted him something just for the sake of giving something small.

“Merry Christmas Marius.”

“Merry Christmas.”

Q disappeared in a big bear-hug.


	2. just as it had to end

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got something finished! *whoop whoop*
> 
> Enjoy the second half of the little story and a big shout-out to [Soufflè](https://archiveofourown.org/users/soufflegirl91/pseuds/soufflegirl91) who was kind enough to read over it and search for mistakes. Thank you dear!
> 
> Happy reading.

Q had contemplated rather lengthily where to place his new little snow globe.

It stood for an hour besides his TV, then Ram came too close – nearly knocking it down! Then he placed it on his nightstand but there it would probably suffer the same fate as besides the TV, so he put it into the small drawer in his nightstand to take it to work tomorrow.

And now it stood between the mug that held his spare pens and his desk light.

It was safe from his cats and if he had to disappear for a bit, he wouldn’t have to worry about either leaving it behind or crushing it.

Today’s tasks made Q walk into the garage and pull on overalls.

Some motors were in a dire need of a firm yet gentle hand to either upgrade, fix or simply clean them. Not that there was no one else who _could_ do it, but the tinkering was something Q always enjoyed and made sure was on his work-plan every once in a while.

He was elbow deep in the bonnet of a van when he heard a door open behind him. Unable to just let go of the tubing and wrench in his hand, he had to make sure everything was in place before he could untangle himself and greet whoever had just come inside.

It was B- _Tanner_ standing in the doorway, flushed as if he had just run, with a stack of papers trapped under his right arm and holding on to a familiar thermo-cup.

“Breaktime Ma…ster, _Quarter_ master. And some bills with missing information I hope you could shed some light on.”

“Thank you.”

Eagerly getting his hands on the tea and a bit less eagerly getting the papers from Tanner, Q offered him the only chair close by in the middle of the room, seating himself on the corresponding desk. The tea was a good burning down his throat making him hum in satisfaction before turning his attention to the papers.

It actually looked like more than it really was.

Someone hadn’t properly filled in some of the Branch’s expenses creating some unaccounted numbers – going by the specific days it had happened Q had a pretty good idea who it was, and he would talk to that person later. Very sternly.

A faint brush against his legs got him out of his musings.

Tanner had come closer to him to be able to look into the papers as well, his cheek now just short of leaning against his thigh.

…Tanners fine layer of hair looked soft – _touchable_.

Going by how the other stiffed, Tanner must’ve realized as well how close he was to Q. But he didn’t pull away. With his heart rate picking up a beat, Q slowly set the cup aside and hovered the freed hand over Tanner’s head instead.

He had the urge to touch it…if he _should_ was a whole other question.

It was Tanner who made the next move, lifting his head the little tiny bit of distance to lean into Q’s hand. From there on, Q basically had no control over his fingers anymore, brushing thought the silky, short strands of black hair.

The whole thing took on a life of its own ending with Tanner dozing in Q’s lap while he massaged his temples.

It felt…warm…to care for someone.

As simple as it was, it somehow felt more intimate than the few short attempts at relationships he had beforehand. Nobody ever made him feel this content with so little. Recognizing the moment for the little gift that it was Q carefully catalogued what he felt and enjoyed it deeply while it lasted.

He would be unable to forget it now.

But being haunted by reality as often as he was, Q knew it wouldn’t last long – opting for softly defusing the situation by gently coaxing Tanner out of his sleep and reminding him of work a few minutes later.

Clearly still half-asleep, Tanner bend down after he was up on his feet and gave Q a kiss on the temple before walking out of the garage with a _see you later_.

Frozen in place Q could only watch Tanner’s butt walking away while his brain desperately tried to catch up with what had just happened.

Tanner had just…given him a kiss.

It had been a while since someone kissed him.

And he liked it.

Just to be sure Q, checked if he was alone and let out the satisfied ~~giggle~~ chuckle that wanted out of him. Tanner had given him a kiss, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

The little smile on Q’s face didn’t fade even as he went back to his desk.

~*~

True to his word Tanner found Q after their shifts ended.

In a stark contrast to earlier – stark to Q, Tanner was good at schooling his features – Tanner was nervous; barely looking Q into the face.

“Fixed all the cars you wanted to?”

“Mostly, only two don’t purr like I want them to.”

“Sounds good,” for a moment it seemed like this was all Tanner wanted to say but then he added, “Do you have plans for New Year?”

“I got a nightshift from the 30th onto the 31st…but otherwise no.”

Q hadn’t planned to go to the small MI6 get-together.

“Ok, would you like to – I mean – I am a member of a small drama club – fake data of course – and they meet up on New Year…and I wanted to ask…if you’ll come with me – if you want to of course!”

Was Tanner _blushing_? My, my, this must be the most flustered Tanner Q had ever seen. He didn’t even _know_ Tanner could be this flustered. Though still standing as tall and straight as ever, a light blush was dusting Tanner’s cheeks and his right hand was idly opening and closing.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to!”

“Oh, no – I’d love to go with you.”

The words were out before Q could even _think_ about it. Though the smile he got for his answer made any complains his brain might come up with for naught – Tanner had a pretty smile.

The moment was broken when quick steps echoed through the hallway, shortly followed by Eve coming around the corner.

“Good, I caught you two before you leave! Do you have a minute or two?”

“What is it Moneypenny?”

“Your votes for the _Couple of the Year_ are still missing.”

Q had gladly forgotten about it until now; he never saw the appeal of bets or useless rankings but many of his Minions were quite passionate about it and a surprisingly high amount of money was shuffled back and forth when a bet was issued.

They kept the Minions happy and it was always easier to just roll with it and only stop such things when they harmed somebody else – which they have never done so far be it bets or ranking.

Tanner voted for Moneypenny and a fellow Q didn’t know out of medical – but going by the bellowing laugh of Moneypenny it was more of an inside joke than her being in an actual relationship. Q simply went with 006 and 7.

Q hadn’t asked and didn’t know for certain if the two agents were together in a relationship or just good friends joined at the hip – but the ranking was for fun anyway.

Tanner asked Moneypenny what the most popular couples were as of now which made her sigh. Q as well as Tanner were curious as to what brought up the reaction.

“Normally we have a handful of couples all close together but this year you two take the top with a giant head start. Nobody seems to match the sweetness of you.”

.

.

.

One would be able to hear the drop of a needle in the silence.

Moneypenny took notice of the sudden mood and retreated as quick as she had appeared.

.

.

.

“So-“

“Do you-“

Both of them started chuckling at the awkwardness. After a bit of back and forth – increasing the awkwardness to something near touchable – Q convinced Tanner to start.

“I…wouldn’t be _against_ treating New Year like a, like a… _date._ ”

“Me…,” Q listened into his mind to find something why he shouldn’t try a date with Tanner. All the usual concerns for non-MI6 partners were irrelevant and in terms of feeling – there were only positive ones, “…neither.”

“Good.”

“Ok.”

It became a bit too much feeling for Q and he opted to excuse himself with his cats that needed to be fed – which was not untrue.

“See you tomorrow,” and like an afterthought he added, “Bill.”

With that he quickly put on what was still missing from his winter clothes and ~~fled~~ _retreated_.

~*~

He couldn’t find Tanner the next day but there as a filled thermo-cup waiting on his desk and a small note hidden underneath.

_On the 31 st at 5pm at my place?_

* * *

The very few remaining days until New Year, Q saw nearly nothing of Tanner other than when they traded their goods with some _hellos_ in the halls.

When the 31st then finally arrived, Q didn’t know where to put his nervousness.

A proper date.

.

He needed flowers.

.

The little flower shop not too far from the train station didn’t have a lot of flowers considering the time of the year, but there were still too many for Q to choose from.

Big ones, small ones, roses, flat coloured, multi coloured, some in pots, some already bundled up.

How did people deal with having so many flowers?

Q knew that the Language of Flowers existed, but it wasn’t something he actually knew about and just taking roses felt too…simple. The little shop-lady was focused on binding something into a bundle and Q didn’t want to disturb her.

Plus – in theory – it shouldn’t be this hard to buy some flowers.

In theory.

His saviour was a little, nearly hidden, cactus blooming one even tinier bloom. It was bought in an instant and accompanied Q in a neat package on his gentle jog to Tanner’s home.

What Q should have expected but didn’t was that Tanner wasn’t in his usual suit-&-tie getup but in dark jeans and a blue polo shirt. Q himself was dressed down too in jeans and a hoodie.

His cactus surprise gained Q another peck on the cheek – this time much closer to his mouth – after Bill had asked if Q was ok with kisses. Gathering a bit of courage Q grabbed Bill’s collar to stop him from moving deeper into the house and returned the peck.

Bill was clean shaven.

Q felt warm in his chest.

After a little heating up of cold limbs with tea and body heat Bill led Q to his car, driving them to the Drama Club’s meeting place.

Seeing all those strangers, Q started to doubt if it was a good idea to come out so far in the open with jobs that required to be so deeply hidden, but Bill assured him that they were basically hiding in plain sight. Him with the cover name of _Lennart_ and Q got impromptu dubbed John.

And while people greeted Bill heartily, inquiring about “John” here and there, nobody singled him out or paid him overly much attention, which made him relax.

It was lovely to see Tanner outside of the MI6 setting goofing around. And between all the hobby-actors of various skill level the night was filled with a lot of spontaneous re-enactments of movie scenes – Q’s useless but perfect imitation of Gollum being handy for once – and parts of plays they had done.

Bill actually had a fabulous singing voice. Even if Q had discovered that while Tanner sang “All the single Ladies” with some other men, laughter unhidden in their voices.

It was about an hour away from midnight, Q had just grabbed something to snack on from the buffet, when his eyes fell on Bill, who didn’t exactly _freeze_ , but he had seen that particular stiffening of the shoulders that indicated **danger**.

What were the odds that the one time he accompanied Bill something went wrong?

Senses on full alert Q set his plate aside scanning the room but whoever _was_ the danger was hidden from him.

And then he couldn’t find Tanner!

Cold gripped his chest in a vice grip. And it took the knowledge of all his years of sneaking around to not just run through the people to find his friend. He had to calm down and assess the situation with a clear mind.

“Shh, Marius, all is fine!”

Bill materialized behind and grabbed Q’s hand, drawing him in close to a hug; his head close to Q’s ear.

“There is no danger here Marius, sorry to worry you like this. I just didn’t know my sister would be here and our last parting wasn’t exactly peaceful.”

A misunderstanding.

Nothing was wrong.

Q could feel Bill’s heartbeat under his fingertips and focused on that till he was calmer himself, melting into the protective nature of the hug.

It felt amazing.

But it wasn’t him that should need soothing – Bill did.

Q freed his arms were they were pressed against his chest and wound them around Bill’s neck instead, leaving no space between them.

“Shall we go outside?”

“We don’t-…yes please.”

Winter clothes back on they disappeared into the night hand in hand, ending side by side on a park bench they had freed from the snow.

“Thank you, Marius.”

“No problem Bill.”

Q wondered if the question he had was insensitive – and probably it was – but he wanted it out to know if Bill was in _any_ form in danger or a bad situation.

“Bill…is your sister…dangerous?”

Bill took in a shuddering breath and leaned further into Q.

“She isn’t dangerous…she is just an, an, an _asshole_ ,” Bill’s posture turned rigid, “I have two siblings – a younger brother too – and I am the oldest by 10 and 13 years. I loved them, loved to care for them, loved to see them laugh and loved to look after them but…when they got older…somehow, I was the cause of all that didn’t go right. It was always my fault even if there was no possible way it could’ve been me. And with two against one my parents believed my siblings over me… I was out of the house as soon as I could, living at my grandparents who believed me, and I basically cut all ties with them.”

Q could only imagine what pain Bill had to be in – he didn’t have siblings and his parents were loving. His contact to them only broke because he had been tangled in too shady shenanigans and he cut all ties to them so they wouldn’t have to see the disappointment he had become back then. Thanks to modern technology he knew they were all right, and after he had himself back together, he had started to write them regular letters to assure them, that he was still alright and fine with the life he had. Though never leaving a return address.

Maybe he would manage to go to them one day.

One day.

Right now, Bill needed him.

Getting a hand out of his gloves he brushed over the cheek that was frozen in a frown, noting just how cold his face was. Q waited until Bill had a bit of emotion back in his features – feeling more under control – and gently coaxed him up and to the car to get him home.

Q asked Bill if he wanted to bunk with him at his flat for the night to not be alone.

The answer however was cut short when fireworks started in the distance, greeting the New Year. Both of them a bit dumbfounded, began to chuckle and simply hugged each other.

New year, new challenges and – maybe – they were now permanently two people together that could help each other.

Q would like that.

When the hullaballoo of the fireworks died down, only the residue fog wafting though the streets Q repeated his question. And with that had the best sleep in probably his whole life.

Bill tugged against him under the warm blanket and his cats sleeping at the foot of the bed.

It was heaven.

* * *

The New Year started with a big bang.

Literally.

006 and 7 had been send onto a mission together creating their usual damage squared including an exploding oil lorry. A mess Q took _a bloody month_ to clean and cover up. Bill coming in occasionally with a tea and a gentle hand on his neck was godsend and direly needed with the little sleep he got.

Bill even fed his cats when Q was unable to leave his post, for which he was beyond grateful.

He got him a new pair of mittens in return after witnessing just how cold Tanner’s fingers could get and how worn his gloves already were.

* * *

The snow was gone, and the weather started to be pleasantly warm again.

Q breathed in deeply when he was finally able to walk out of the MI6 building hand-in-hand with Bill without worrying about any agent – not thinking about two in particular, who tended to just run into their near-deaths or being hunted by other organizations as well, as long as Q didn’t delete camera footage, black mail or another form of either silencing the offending organization or getting them off their tails. After the last two all-nighters he had been granted a bit of a break.

Simply strolling alongside the river, breathing in fresh air.

It took Q a while before he noticed that Bill was nervous about something, idly flexing his hand. And when Bill noticed that Q noticed, he stopped them a bit away from the other people out walking.

“Marius…I wanted to ask you if…you want to move your personal things into my house. I would love to have you closer.”

Q stopped breathing for a moment, mulling over the implications. Bill wanted him enough to have him right at his side. But, he had run away so often before. If Q was found in his flat, it was only _him_ that was found but if he was found in Bill’s house – Bill would be targeted too.

“I- If I have to disappear you’ll be in danger too! I can’t do that to you!”

“Oh Marius,” Bill stepped close to hug him, “I know that you don’t need to disappear ever since you started at MI6. You are our best kept secret now, Marius. If you are found, we have far more important troubles than just us two needing to lie low. Keep your flat as a decoy and you and your cats come to me. How does that sound?”

It sounded bloody amazing.

And he could feel the doubts brewing within him. He was torn. But he remembered one drunken discussion between Trevelyan and Bond he had overheard – James asking Alec how he could still smile that much despite all the shit he went through:

_Every day could be the last, why not enjoy it?_

It was true. Every day something could go gravely wrong, but Q had Bill right at his side to face hardships right with him.

Q didn’t have to be alone.

“When can I get the cats?”

“Right now?”

They kissed.

Long and breath-taking.  
Making Q feel feather light, as if he would just fly away if it weren’t for Tanner’s grounding hold on him.

The missing oxygen made Bill’s following laughter sound more like wheezing. Curious as to what brought on the laughter Q followed Bill’s pointed finger while the man tried to get his breath back.

Behind them, the electronic billboard was showing a bluescreen.

* * *

_And here it ends. Two men who found comfort and a partner in each other._

_I could continue telling of disagreements, the first awkward tumblings in the bed, shouting matches, late night whispers and accidents involving two cats and breakable mobiliary._

_But those are other stories for other days._

**Author's Note:**

> Here is the link to the [music box song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmY1s-YS5kg) if anybody is interested.


End file.
